twenty twenty
by BittersweetSonata
Summary: It's not until you look back, that you realize you're in love;— levi ო eren, modern!au


**title: **twenty twenty

**summary: **in hindsight, eren realizes he's in love. and if the way levi is affected by his smiles means anything, he might just love him back.

**notes: **what am i even doing with my life anymore? no idea. oh look, american history homework. joy.

**thoughts: **my older brother works in van heusen, it gave me this idea.

**disclaimer: **own nothing

* * *

_._

_your smile, shine a little light_

_._

* * *

Eren does not have deplorable vision _per say_, but when he thinks about it, there are just some things he never really saw. Signs that clearly screamed _hello this is trouble, don't do this, don't say that _and wow he thinks he might just need glasses for his choices. Like some kind of filter to help him see right from _wait, don't tell Mikasa that dress doesn't look good on her. _

That was the day of their junior prom. His poor adopted sister came to him for fashion advice and while he doesn't think that was the best choice on her part, he could have been more tactful.

_Definitely_ more tactful.

Anyway.

He's been thinking a lot lately and there are just some things he's done in the past that really stick out. They're just not right.

Like, there was that one time when he totally crushed on his best friend's crush and _that _didn't end well. Or when he completely forgot to knock and ended up walking in on Reiner and Bertholdt doing…_things. _He shivers and his hair stands on end.

That is a mental image that will scar him forever. No joke.

But sometimes he's just lying in bed at night (or early morning) after playing too much Battlefield 4 or Bioshock: Infinite and he has a _job _in the morning but he can't sleep because he's too busy thinking about past mistakes and how to solve world hunger, etcetera, etcetera.

And then at seven in the morning he drags himself out of bed and out of the door of the apartment he shares with Armin, and after a quick breakfast of usually burnt toast or a bowl of dry cereal because they are out of milk, he goes to work.

Such is the life of a college graduate who can't get a job in his respective field. Of course, he only graduated like three months ago, but.

So instead of doing psychologist things at a psychologist's job, he works at a department store.

He probably takes it a bit too personally.

So, after changing into his work uniform (which is one of the perks of the job, he guesses, because he looks _fucking fantastic _in a pine green dress shirt, and matching black vest and slacks), and a two minute breakfast of shoving as many spoonfuls of dry Pops into his mouth as fast as he can, he's out the door and driving to work.

(Note to self: remind Armin to buy some milk because this is the fourth day without it and he's not doing that anymore.)

When Eren finally finds it in himself to drag his still half-asleep body inside the glass doors of the designated store that is his workplace, he is greeted by his coworker, Jean Kirchstein, who is also a graduate who can't find a job. Well, Eren can't really offer the guy any sympathy because he can't see him as a veterinarian either.

One important thing about Jean Kirchstein: he's an asshole. Like, a _major _asshole.

"Jaeger," he greets, "go die."

Eren scowls and sends him the finger. "Likewise, horse-face."

He walks through the maze of dress shirts, ties, cravats, shoes, and a whole other menagerie of men's clothing before he reaches the counter. It's his station, taken from Jean and given to him by their boss, and Eren never fails to rub it in that bastard's face.

"Hey Jean," he calls out from across the room, all bright smiles and sunny attitude, "how do you like fetching the right size of shirt for a guy who's hitting on you?"

They're not open yet, so technically he can say things like that. For now.

Jean narrows his eyes and swears profusely, cursing Eren and everything to do with him. It makes the boy grin, and it's really a sight to see. Like, when he smiles, the whole world stops and stares for just a little while.

(Cheesy song line be damned, that's really how it works.)

Eren and Jean's boss is no exception to that rule of the universe.

Levi is a mystery – a fucking prick of a mystery but a mystery nonetheless. Jean narrows his eyes as he observes his boss just _freeze _when Eren sends him that bright smile, and he notices something odd.

Levi is not scowling.

Levi _always _scowls.

Sure, it's just for a few seconds and Eren doesn't notice as he laughs and really it's something beautiful too, not that Jean cares, but there's something about the whole situation that makes him suspicious.

Five seconds later Levi slams a box of shoes onto Eren's counter and startles him. The boy just smiles and takes it without a word, and Levi stalks away.

Eren is one of the only people who has no problem dealing with his moody boss. Seriously, he doesn't know why Levi seems so unhappy all the time – because, while his life kind of sucks right now, Eren can still find plenty of things to be happy about – so he makes it his mission to cheer his boss up.

They say that hindsight is twenty-twenty, and Eren can't really argue with that. Because, when he tries but fails to fall asleep later that night, thoughts of his grumpy superior flood his mind and it confuses him. It's strange and just so out-of-the-ordinary. He thinks he knows why.

He doesn't sleep at all that night.

The next morning when he drags his barely functioning body into work, Jean seems impressed and amazed at the same time. It's a small treat for Eren, even in his more-than-half-asleep state.

"Did you seriously drive like _that_?" Jean questions as Eren collapses onto a bench. It's supposed to be for customers and people who are actually buying something but he doesn't really care right now. "Man, you look like absolute _shit._"

Thank you Jean, for pointing out that blindingly obvious fact.

Eren doesn't have it in him to come up with an equally rude and insulting response. In fact, the only thing he can come up with is '_that tie, with _that _shirt_' and wow he must be watching too many episodes of Shiganshina's Next Top Model with Mikasa because that is just so _not _his thing.

He just makes some noncommittal noises and doesn't move. Jean blinks and his brows furrow, but Levi comes along and cuts him off before he can say anything.

"Jaeger, what the hell is wrong with you? We're going to open soon. Get your shit together."

Such a beautiful and inspiring pep talk from his boss.

Eren spares some of his precious energy to turn his head and look up at Levi. Then, he sends him a brilliant smile, even though his eyes are clouded and he's not totally there. "Of course." He mumbles and then proceeds to try and actually get up.

Levi and Jean watch him struggle before the former heaves one of the loudest sighs the latter thinks he's ever heard. "Jaeger, just fucking stop. Go home. Get some rest. Then come back tomorrow prepared to work without falling asleep because you're not getting off like this again."

Eren gives a sluggish wave and another bright smile as he stumbles out of the doors and into the main complex, and Levi scowls and swears under his breath. Jean doesn't know what the fuck just happened.

The next morning, Eren returns with another beautiful grin, running on five hours of sleep and two cups of coffee from Starbucks. But he is there and back to his normal self and Levi is not as impossible as he had been the day before, Jean notices.

Life continues on as normal, with Eren and Jean throwing insults back and forth and Levi continues to be the shitty boss that he is, but _something _changes. Whether it's their dynamics, the lingering looks, the way Levi sometimes gives Eren the mother of all ghost smiles, or _something. _It changes, and things are not _exactly _the same.

Hindsight is twenty-twenty, Eren is in love with his boss, and Levi might just possibly love him back.

* * *

**end notes: **so, did i totally fail? probably. oh well. this is my first attempt and i don't even know why because i didn't even think i _shipped _this pairing but whatever. i must be in denial.


End file.
